~ Musings from Boston, Mexico City, and Beyond!

Monterrey — An Entirely Different Face of Mexico

Monterrey is to Mexico what Los Angeles is the the United States, or perhaps as Brasilia is to Brazil — a brave new city, built far from traditional centers of power, and unlike any other in the country. Here the new is valued more than the old, and the city is expanding rapidly. Cranes dot the horizon, and new streets and bridges under construction create choking traffic awaiting their completion. Though it still has a touch of the Ye Olde Mexico at its heart, much of the old has been demolished to make way for the new. In the early 80’s much of the Barrio Antiguo (what would likely be called the Centro Historico in any other Mexican City) was demolished to make way for the Macroplaza, an enormous, totally modern plaza elevated above street level, with a parking garage below. According to Wikipedia, it’s the fourth-largest public square in the world, and covers 400,000 square meters, or a kilometer long by a city block wide. Take that, Mexico City! (Based on our conversation, it seems that Monterrey sees Mexico City as a rival and hopes to surpass it. In some ways it already has.)

What we think of as Monterrey is actually a conurbation of several cities including Santa Catarina, San Pedro Garza García, Guadalupe, and Monterrey itself, among others. We started our tour in San Pedro, home of many international companies, many high rises, posh homes hugging the hillside, and many more high rises under construction. Unfortunately, it was a gray and drizzly day for our tour, but luckily it didn’t graduate to full-on rain. As Tino lives in Santa Catarina, we had to cross the modern (2003) and controversial Puente de la Unidad, a single-tower, cable-stayed bridge. What’s the controversy? The bridge has four lanes, but a more boring design could have provided six for the same cost. Frankly, we think that as time progresses people will become increasingly happy with this striking bridge, which reminds us a little of the new-ish Zakim Bridge in Boston, which became a landmark almost overnight. Unfortunately, conditions did not permit a better photo.

Puente de la Unidad, Monterrey, NL

First stop in San Pedro turned out to be the Hospital Zambrano Hellion, a beautiful, modern, and enormous facility. No, we weren’t sick. We just were looking for a tall building from which to see the vista, at least as much as the fog and mist permitted. We entered the lobby, went to the elevator and hit the button for the fifteenth floor, top of the building and administrative offices. There, we managed to sweet-talk our way into being let onto the roof deck, from which the view must be truly breath taking on a clear day. That day it was somewhat mysterious, but still impressive. The below panorama is composed from three separate photos. Click to enlarge.

After San Pedro, we headed into the center of Monterrey to check out the Macroplaza, the Barrio Antiguo, and the Paseo Santa Lucía, a canal and sort of “riverwalk” a la San Antonio, which connects the Macroplaza to the Parque Fundidora.

Monterrey, NL with Macroplaza and Paseo Santa Lucía leading to Parque Fundidora

At about a kilometer in length and spanning a wide city block, the Macroplaza is an impressively large space, though it’s broken down into a series of sub-plazas and gardens, so you aren’t confronted with an endless stretch of unbroken plaza. And the underground parking came in handy, as that’s where we parked. As we emerged from the parking, the Fuente de La Vida welcomed us to the plaza. Constructed in 1984, it celebrates the completion of Monterrey’s Plan Hidraulico, or Water Plan, which included the construction of the Presa Cerro Prieto, and a 20 KM aqueduct to carry water (a precious commodity in these dry parts) to Monterrey.

Fuente de la Vida, Macroplaza, Monterrey, NL

From there we strolled around the plaza. At the northern end lies the Palacio del Gobierno, the seat of the state government. Unlike many of the city government buildings, this is a handsome 19th century building which was started in 1895 and finished in 1908. We love the traditional plaza it faces.

Palacio del Gobierno, Monterrey, NL

We continued strolling around the plaza a bit, then headed into the Barrio Antiguo, immediately to the east of the Macroplaza.

Macroplaza with Cathedral, Faro del Comercio, and Fuente de la Vida in the background

Monterrey is a city that prides itself on being modern, progressive, and forward-looking. And in many ways it is unlike the rest of Mexico, which is more steeped in tradition. For example street vendors are seldom seen, being confined to a few mercados here and there. Second, most of the city is fairly new, with modern architecture, many American-style malls, and an increasing number of high rises. We also noted few street performers such as clowns, flame swallowers, etc., though that could just have been happenstance. That said, there is still a bit of Old Mexico in the Barrio Antiguo. Despite the local love of the new and modern, it’s heartening to see that the Barrio Antiguo has become a hip hangout, with trendy stores, bars and cafés. This, more than anything else ensures its continued survival. There in the Barrio Antiguo, Tino showed me his junior high school, which is next door to the State Museum of Popular Culture of Nuevo León. Interestingly, as a boy, Tino and his buddies could climb up a wall, and then peer through a hole into this museum to see the murals inside. But it turns out, he had never visited the museum itself. So both of us saw the murals fully for the first time. As is common, the murals provide a pictorial representation of Mexican history from the pre-Hispanic era through the present. Unfortunately, it was too dark inside to get decent pictures.

Fine Old Building, Barrio Antiguo, Monterrey, NL

After lunch in the Barrio Antiguo, we made our way to the Paseo Santa Lucía. This is a truly impressive project, which was finished in 2007. It’s a bit like San Antonio’s Riverwalk, but instead of being a river, it’s a canal that looks a bit like a kilometer long (more or less) swimming pool that leads from the edge of the Macroplaza to the Parque Fundidora, which is also an impressive site. Along the canal are sculptures, restaurants, bike paths, skating paths, and in the Parque Fundidora, loads of open, green space. When we got to the end closest to the Macroplaza, we bought tickets for the boat, and took a ride down the canal toward the Parque Fundidora.

Paseo Santa Lucía, Monterrey, NL

Farther “downstream.” Along the canal lie apartments, high rises, and other multi-use space.

Paseo Santa Lucía, Monterrey, NL

Getting closer to Parque Fundidora. Note that night was falling, so the pictures get darker as we go along. The tower pictured is a good example of Monterrey’s ultra-modern architecture.

Paseo Santa Lucía, Monterrey, NL

After we got off at the end, we climbed up a bridge to take the photo looking back on where we had been.

Paseo Santa Lucía, Monterrey, NL

At the end of the canal lies the Parque Fundidora, which comprises an old steel mill founded in 1900 that closed down around 1980, and its extensive grounds. It sat vacant for years, until the city assembled a team of experts to turn it into a park and museum in 1988. Time and space prevent a detailed exposition, but Furnace #3 has been preserved as a museum, and you can take a rather scary, open-air elevator ride to the top to see the furnace and the view. Needless to say, this appealed to my love of large machinery and vistas simultaneously, so skipping it was not an option.

Furnace/Horno #3, Parque Fundidora, Monterrey, NL

Again, though the mist had lifted a bit as the day progressed, it was by no means clear. But on a clear day, the top of Furnace #3 (which is the top most bit on the left side of the picture) would provide an excellent view of the central part of Monterrey. We spent a good half hour up there, taking photos of the mill and each other. By now, Tino’s partner had joined us, and we were all hungry. In true Monterrey fashion, we adjourned to a mall where we had dinner at Souper Salad, which provided a healthy and tasty end to a splendid day. Thanks, Tino!!!

Please note that this post is also a few days behind actual events. I’m now in Zacatecas, where I’ve decided to stay at least through Sunday mid-day, and I’m contemplating adding another day. Saludos!

32 thoughts on “Monterrey — An Entirely Different Face of Mexico”

Very interesting post. I have not been in Monterrey since participating in a huge trade show of the restaurant industry in 1992. The convention center there is a marvel that many American cities could emulate. There are retail stores on the street level with the convention center accessible by escalator. The retail stores of course help to finance the day to day operations.
Monterrey embraced NAFTA at its inception. That law, among other things, helped to change the face of Monterrey in many good ways with increased exportation.
I was involved and instrumental in a joint agreement that was signed by CANIRAC, the national restaurant assn of Mexico and the TRA, the Texas Restaurant association, to import and export not only equipment but knowledge between countries. I was very honored to be part of that exchange.
I’m impressed to see the photos of the waterway that has been created. Not an easy achievement anywhere.
As many times as I’ve been in Monterrey, I’ve never seen the sun due to the massive cement manufacturing that goes on there. Hopefully some day that will be modified in some way to provide fresher and cleaner air.

Hi Barbara! Wow! Thanks for that great comment. I know we talked about the air before I went there. And as I left, I took some pictures that definitely showed smog, but the day I spent in Monterrey, the air seemed fresh and clean. Maybe it has gotten better? Maybe the winter is better? Whatever the case, the air was fine for the couple of days I was there. Saludos y abrazos!

Thanks! I think I need to take another “down day” today as I nearly walked myself to death yesterday. My desire to sightsee exceeds my stamina for walking. I sit here with blisters on my feet, and aching calves, LOL. Saludos.

Everything one hears about that area is related to violence, drugs and cartels. Your report puts a different slant on it. So much of Mexico is under the stigma of that dark side while there is so much to see and enjoy. The area does not give one a ‘Mexico’ feel. I have never been there – thanks for taking us along.

Hola John. Los Angeles, CA has plenty of violence, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fascinating city where people go to walk the “Walk of the Stars” in Hollywood. As for Monterrey, it has its problems, but is a much more beautiful and fascinating place than any of us imagined. Thanks for commenting. Saludos.

Steve, based on all the new stuff, I think Monterrey was a very different place when you were in Laredo. But there’s no reason not to go now. And I imagine that you could probably twist Tino’s arm to have him show you around. Saludos!

Hello, Kim, I have to say that this is a most impressive travel report, filled with detailed descriptions and very enlightening data, and anybody can see that you not only wrote what you saw but also did a very good homework research-wise. As I was reading it line after line and looking at the pictures, my mind instantly went back to the exact moment when they were taken and remembered the scenes, the lights, the sounds, and the aromas, not to mention all the chatting we did. To say that being your tourist guide made me come to peace with my city is an understatement — it rather made me fall in love with her again, much like the bored husband and his old lady in the song “Piña Colada”. I thank you for being the cause of my re-appreciation. Certainly other Mexican cities are filled with magnificent cathedrals, Colonial buildings, beautiful plazas, and colorful markets filled with delicious aromas and charming works made by indigenous artisans, but Monterrey is no better and no worse — it’s just totally different. Your description of Monterrey as “a city that prides itself on being modern, progressive, and forward-looking… ” is absolutely true, and though many of us resent that a number of magnificent old buildings were demolished to give way to modern constructions, it is a fact that the character of Monterrey is contemporary. Both Rodolfo and I send you our love, we’re very happy with life for giving us such the kind-hearted, charming friend that’s you.

Wow, that place looks quite interesting and the building are definitely different then the cities we have passed through. Possibly one of these days we will load up for a road trip to see a friend of mine who just packed up his whole family from nutso California and moved to Texas. Monterrey looks so modern, especially the Paseo .
Great pictures and comments, sounds like you are really enjoying the trek!

Hola Don Cuevas! Indeed, I did eat cabrito al Pastor, but it’s in the prior post. Frankly, I was a bit nervous about it as I’m not particularly fond of lamb, but since Tino and Rodolfo took me to a place that specializes in it, I felt I had to try it. Wow! It was delicious, with a flavor somewhere between goose and turkey, if that makes any sense. Not gamey at all. Saludos!

A truly great report. I have never set foot in Monterrey, just gone around it on the outermost Libramiento, and I admit I have swallowed totally the bad crime/narco rep it has, in part due to its proximity to the border, which generally is the area you most want to avoid in Mexico.

I had no idea Monterrey possessed the things you show here. Very impressive. Thanks for the enlightenment.

Felipe: Thanks for the kind words. I’m finding that while the blogging takes a fair bit of work, it’s also deepening my understanding of the places I’m visiting, and forcing me to be more observant as I go about. As noted in some of my other responses, Monterrey surprised me too. As for “conurbation,” it’s a word I learned in an urban design class I took as an undergrad. Saludos.

Thanks for an interesting glimpse at a very different aspect of Mexico. Continued safe and happy travels. I look forward to future posts.
Saludos,
Bill
(in Ohio where it is currently snowing yet again!)

Hey Bill! I’m so sorry to hear about the snow. DO NOT under any circumstances look at the weather forecast for Zacatecas, LOL. Monterrey impressed me. It’s another side of Mexico most haven’t seen or heard of. Saludos.

My husband use to travel some to Monterrey on business. He didn’t like it because he said it was hot and dusty and wasn’t like colonial Mexico. Your post made me want to go see it because I love good contemporary commercial architecture.

Hi Billie: Truth be told, I initially didn’t much want to go to Monterrey either. I had heard all the stories of hot, dry, and dusty, along with the lack of old Mexican charm. And truth be told, it’s probably best seen in spring or fall as the rumors of hot weather are true, at least if you go by Tino’s stash of fans. But the city is far more interesting than I had expected, and I’m glad I went. Of course making a couple of good, new friends didn’t hurt either. Saludos.